For years, the Bengals sought methods to draw fans into Paul Brown Stadium and away from the comfort of the couch, allure of the HDTV.

Thanks to Thursday's deal with the county, the team will own the tools to compete.

"It's up to us and creative folks around here to use these tools," said director of business development Bob Bedinghaus.

Used correctly, the new video board and Wi-Fi overhaul carry possibilities to transport fans' living room experience through the turnstiles. These advances aren't just luxury toys anymore, they are demanded by the NFL in order to grasp the audience increasingly passing on the in-game experience.

The centerpiece of any game experience begins with the video board. Replays, reverse angles and stats evolved from amenity to requirement. The Bengals have been looking at the board upgrade project for two years and now can execute with payment method assured.

A new video board, expected to be in place by the 2015 season, will grow vertically from the current 27 feet to as tall as 36 feet, according to the club. The advertising signage currently located on both edges of the board will disappear, allowing the board to grow to 130 feet wide and cover the structures holding both the South and North boards.

For reference, the new board installed at Great American Ball Park in 2009 spans 138 feet-by-39 feet. These PBS additions will place each board in a similar range topping out around 4,680 square feet apiece.

The holy grail of NFL video boards hangs in the middle of AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The Cowboys monstrosity spans 11,520 square feet on each side. Houston added the largest indoor display in the world last season at 52.5 feet high by 277 feet wide stretching 14,549 square feet each across both end zones.

The Jaguars recently began building the latest topper of two 55-foot tall, 301-foot wide colossal boards above their end zones for a combined total of 16,555 square feet. It also come with a monstrous price tag of $63 million.

The Bengals $10 million board may pale in comparison to those, but the size comes by design as much by economics.

"We are not looking to put something similar to what Jerry Jones has," Bedinghaus said of the Cowboys owner. "To us focus is still on the field. Video boards and ribbon boards — which will be expanded as well — add to the fan experience. What we are getting is a better opportunity to keep fans engaged."

Preliminary plans involve increased use of fantasy stats, RedZone Channel, fan interaction and other ways to bring the fan closer to feeling at home. More than size, the upgrade from Year 2000 standard definition clarity to the state-of-the-art HD technology will provide the most noticeable visual change.

The Bengals and NFL hope fans walk away talking about the Wii-Fi addition, which could be in place for the 2014 season.

Two years ago Roger Goodell launched an initiative for Wi-Fi to be installed in all stadiums. Over half of the teams now utilize Wi-Fi enabled stadiums. The New England Patriots spearheaded a crusade to engage fans with an in-stadium application which provides highlight videos, access to local radio broadcasts, RedZone and interactive stadium information like concession and restroom lines.

Discussions even arose of linking fans into the sounds of players mic'd up during games. All these additions are invaluable while consuming sports in the era of the second screen.

"All of that stuff opens up to us," Bedinghaus said.

How much will be worth doing becomes the question to analyze. The NFL recently partnered with US marketing firm Extreme Networks to leverage wi-fi integration analytics. They previously worked with the Eagles, Lions and Giants/Jets.

Findings exposed most fans weren't utilizing video highlights or the overabundance of in-stadium app advantages the NFL is pushing. Instead, 65 percent of activity centered around uploading with an overwhelming majority posting pictures or updates to Facebook.

How the Bengals utilize the new Wi-Fi will be atop an agenda of issues this summer. For them, after Thursday's deal, they'll happily embrace the problem.

"Our challenge is to make coming to the game an exciting thing to do," Bedinghaus said. "To give you something here you can't get on your couch at home. These are the kind of tools — it doesn't matter whether in Dallas or PBS in Cincinnati or a basketball arena or baseball park — every professional sport is struggling with the same thing, how do we keep the in-person experience exciting?"